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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Self Build in wall acryilic Tank

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11 Aug 2008 08:51 #1 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
Hi Guys,

Im new to here, I'm currently building a house and have allowed an ope between entrance hall and office to put in a fish tank. I purchased a sheet of pre-cut acrylic and assembled it during the week using a two part devcon epoxy resin. We tested the tank on Saturday, and when two thirds full it started to creak! We had to bail out. I know weld on 4 is the recommended adhesive for cast acrylic can anybody recommend something that will hold the tank together? I am getting a stainless steel frame made up for extra support but would still like feedback on adhesive.

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11 Aug 2008 10:25 #2 by arabesque (Mick Veale)
Hi, Talk to gerry evans, you'll find him here on the forum, he's an expert in acrylic
and could even order a premade one made to measure..

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11 Aug 2008 10:46 #3 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
Ya looks like i will have to ring him, not too keen on getting it premade having already invested €475 on the acrylic! But it may be an option. Thanks for your help.

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04 Nov 2008 11:48 - 04 Nov 2008 11:49 #4 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
Some pictures of the nearly finished tank its taken a while but we are gettin there
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Last edit: 04 Nov 2008 11:49 by jollyman (Henry Murphy).

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04 Nov 2008 13:48 #5 by Valerie (Valerie)
Replied by Valerie (Valerie) on topic Re:Self Build in wall acryilic Tank
Photos on behalf of Jollyman :-)





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22 Mar 2009 22:05 #6 by Darragh_Clarke (Darragh Clarke)
wow its a nice looking tank

god ya can make me one lol:P

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19 May 2009 08:45 - 19 May 2009 08:57 #7 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
Thanks Darragh, Finally have it installed and in place, filled it and had the water tested three times before it was right, have 5 dannios in it for the week now, we are trying to decide wether to go with chiclids or a community tank. The tank is 5ft long and 10inches wide 234 litres, is it too small for chiliclids can anyone tell me.

www.selfbuildardmore.blogspot.com



picasaweb.google.com/jollyman24/SiteProg...#5337456205272565202
[img size=499][/img]
Last edit: 19 May 2009 08:57 by jollyman (Henry Murphy).

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19 May 2009 16:03 - 19 May 2009 16:04 #8 by derek (Derek Doyle)
depends which type of cichlids.
its fine for angels or most s american cichlids.
too narrow for central american or the larger african lake cichlids.
but u could go for the smaller (up to 5 inch) malawis or tanganyikans.

tank looks nice.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
Last edit: 19 May 2009 16:04 by derek (Derek Doyle).

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19 May 2009 16:13 #9 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
Thanks for the reply derek, do angels and south american cichlids get on together? apisto, kribensis and angels would all be happy in the tank? Can you add guppys and tetras also or are they most likely going to be food?

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19 May 2009 16:34 #10 by derek (Derek Doyle)
almost any large fish will eat any small fish. but if u start off with smaller angels, then u should have no problem.
start off with the hardier species and add the small angels, cardinals etc as the water matures.
as well as the above, a good colourful mix for your tank, could be pearl guaramies, silvertip or rosy tetras, apisto dwarf cichlids,
any danios or rasboras, corydoras and bristlenose catfish and clown or chain loach. these are some of my favorites, but there are numerous alternatives.
another option with hardier fish could be the smaller colourful malawi cichlids, such as careleus, spengerae, salosi etc. but u should avoid the larger agressive species.
anyway the local shop should be able to advise on the best course.
whereabouts in the south are you.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

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20 May 2009 07:45 #11 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
Thanks for that Derek, ya some of the fish you have there are the ones i like i have posted a wishlist now under the introduce yourself section under the thread new tank! Im in ardmore, so youghal is my local pet shop.

Thanks.

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13 Apr 2016 11:47 #12 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
Well that's a blast from the past,tank had been up and running for the past 6 years. Have taken the opportunity to upgrade a bit and relocated fish. Needed a good tidy up, lessons learnt overtime:) Ill post a few pics as i make progress on it.






Was thinking of going coldwater fish this time round any recommendations?
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13 Apr 2016 12:25 #13 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Rainbow Shiners!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_shiner

Red Shiners!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_shiner

American Flag Fish!
www.seriouslyfish.com/species/jordanella-floridae/

You wont believe the colours of Shiners when they breed...Absolutely amazing!

Google pics of them....You will be stunned....

Just avoid long finned and slow fish with Shiners and American Flag Fish....They all have a tendency to nip...

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13 Apr 2016 12:48 #14 by robert (robert carter)
hi ,I have just started a cold water project ,a 350 litre with 120 litre sump and going high grade small koi 2/3 inch to grow on then into the pond , however cold water fish are messy and need very good filtration so don't think they would suit you . don't know where you are based but a trip to sh would give you a few ideas

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13 Apr 2016 12:55 #15 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
A trip to where Robert? Based in Waterford. Have a decent external filter from my last setup.

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13 Apr 2016 13:29 #16 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Only the bigger coldwater fish such as Koi and Goldfish produce big amounts of waste....Smaller ones such as the types Ive listed will be no problem once you feed sensibly and keep on top of your weekly water changing regime....

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13 Apr 2016 13:31 #17 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Other smaller coldwater types include Mountain Minnows and Hillstream Loaches....

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13 Apr 2016 13:44 #18 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
Where would i source them gunnered?

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13 Apr 2016 13:49 #19 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
An alternative to a warm water tank and a cold water tank is a mid range tank...You will need a heater but you can set the temperature lower at about 18 degrees....Lots of fish such as various barbs will tolerate the lower temperatures....Just not too cold......I

The advantage is that you can keep a wider range of fish and it will use a lot less electricity than a warm tropical tank which needs a constant 24 degrees.....

In fact you will find if you set your heater stat at 18 degrees you will rarely see the heater come on except during the really cold winter nights....Average room temperature will keep the tank steady...In a way the heater acts as just a backup in case it gets really cold in the room like during winter months.....

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13 Apr 2016 13:52 #20 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
That would work too have heaters etc anyway, from my previous cichlid tank! If you could suggest a list preferably that would prefer a slightly hard PH?

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13 Apr 2016 13:56 - 13 Apr 2016 14:37 #21 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Seahorse Aquariums in Ballymount Industrial Estate here in Dublin is your best bet....When Robert recommended a trip to SH he was referring to Seahorse Aquariums....

IN MY OPINION! And this is just my opinion!!! They are the best Tropical Fish Store in Ireland and probably in the British Isles....

They can get practically anything for you and will also ship live fish during the warmer months...

All ya gotta do is call them....

If your ever in Dublin near the Red Cow complex on the Naas road drop into the store...Its right beside there....Its fantastic and the staff in there are really well up on fish knowledge of any kind...

Be prepared though and bring your wallett cos you wont leave without buying something...LOL :P
Last edit: 13 Apr 2016 14:37 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered).

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13 Apr 2016 14:02 #22 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
When you say hard PH....exactly how high are you talking?

The fact is that most fish with will tolerate a wide range of PHs....Once its not in the extreme...The secret is gentle acclimation...

Most fish nowadays are tank bred in everyday tap water and will acclimate to all different kinds of water chemistry...

The exception being African Rift Lake Cichlids and wild South American fish....Rift Lake Cichlids needing liquid rock and Wild South Americans needing acid... LOL

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13 Apr 2016 14:10 - 13 Apr 2016 14:38 #23 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
This might help....Remember there are thousands more species to choose from...This is just a selection of the more common fish available....Also these profiles are a little outdated so if you see fish you like research (google) them a bit more intently....

badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_stats.html

This is also an excellent site for fish statistics and info...In fact it gives the most accurate and up to date profiles on the internet (IN MY OPINION)....You just gotta know the name (common or scientific) of the fish you wanna reserach...

www.seriouslyfish.com/
Last edit: 13 Apr 2016 14:38 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered).

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13 Apr 2016 15:54 #24 by trent (trent)
sorry to butt in here was in sh last week and had i think red shiners for sale

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13 Apr 2016 17:02 #25 by robert (robert carter)
one other coldwater fish are tench both green and golden ,I have some in the pond now about 10 years and are about 9 inches ,purchased at about 2 inches very slow growing and nice fish especially the golden variety

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19 Dec 2016 12:35 #26 by jollyman (Henry Murphy)
Progress Made plan on stocking it during christmas. Anyone on here building glass tanks to order?
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19 Dec 2016 17:17 #27 by JohnH (John)
For made-to-measure tanks you wouldn't go far wrong contacting Bart, who is a member here but doesn't seem to log on too often in recent times.
He uses the name Rainbow Aquatics and his details are:
Unit 14 ACE Enterprise Center, Bawnogue road, Clondalkin
Dublin, Ireland 22
085 168 1733

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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19 Dec 2016 23:04 #28 by Jonlate (Jon Late)
Plus one on Bart, call him on his phone before you go as he is not always in the shop.
He built my tank along with a few others on here, and we are all happy with our tanks and the prices he charges.

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20 Dec 2016 22:21 #29 by robert (robert carter)
I have a 350 litre coldwater with 120litre sump , tank and cabinet both built by Bart . First class job , great attendsion to detail and a resonable price

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